1. Technical Field
This invention generally pertains to a call for emulating the sound of wild game, and specifically to a game call that includes an elastic diaphragm that is caused to vibrate by air expelled from a user's mouth.
2. Background Art
An important consideration in hunting certain types of wild game is the ability of the hunter to attract the game within range of his weapon. Frequently, the only means available to the hunter to draw game into his area is to imitate a sound that will cause the animal to move from a more distant location or from a place of concealment out into the open. For this purpose, hunters have used the sound of wounded prey, the sound of the animal being hunted or of its opposite sex, and sounds of another such animal challenging the hunted animal to combat.
There are a wide variety of game call devices used to emulate such sounds. For the most part, such game calls can be divided into three major types, according to the manner of use. The first type is operated by hand, e.g. by rattling antlers together, or by scratching a piece of plastic across a slate pad mounted on a resonant cavity. A significant disadvantage of this type of call is that its operation requires one or both hands, which may encumber the hunter's ability to raise his weapon to the ready position in time to fire it. The second type call is inserted into the user's mount and produces sound when air is expelled through it, with the sound modulated partly by the internal shape of the mouth and tongue and/or by the use of one or both cupped hands around the air outlet of the call. Examples of this type are represented by the conventional duck, goose, and fox call. Like the first type call, this type call also has the disadvantage of requiring that the hands be used in producing sound imitative of wild game.
The third type of game call is inserted inside the mouth and can produce the desired sound without requiring use of the hands, thus freeing them to hold a weapon. The most common example of this type call is the diaphragm game call which comprises a thin elastic membrane stretched on a flexible horseshoe (or "U") shaped retainer. The call is placed in the roof of the user's mouth, between the upper molars. By positioning the tongue adjacent the diaphragm, airflow over the diaphragm is modulated as air is expelled from the mouth. Passage of air over the diaphragm causes it to vibrate, producing, for example, a "yelping" sound. The shape of the mouth, position of the tongue adjacent the diaphragm, and muscle tension in the mouth and throat all influence the quality of the sound produced by the call. In addition, the elasticity and thickness of the material comprising the stretched diaphragm membrane also affect the sound. Although this type call is most often used for calling wild turkeys, or gobblers, it can be used to attract other wild game, such as foxes.
One of the problems associated with the use of diaphragm type calls is the variation in the size of the palate, or roof of the mouth, among individual users. A substantial portion of the population encounters difficulty in using diaphragm game calls to produce a desired call, because they find that the call does not fit properly in the interpalatal space between their upper molar teeth. A related problem confronts people who normally wear dentures. Even where it is possible to adjust the dimensions of the call by bending the retainer to fit, the results are less than satisfactory, because the diaphragm membrane is no longer stretched taut and does not vibrate properly. Conventional diaphragm calls are generally commercially available in only one size to fit all, making it difficult for the individual who has a small palate to use a diaphragm game call. Likewise, dentures may interfere with the proper fit of a conventional diaphragm call, making it almost impossible to use.
A solution to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,845. This patent suggests that an individually fitted base be used to hold the diaphragm in the roof of the user's mouth, and that this base be held in place by wires protruding from each side that anchor the call in place on the adjacent teeth. The rigid base is molded to the user's mouth in much the same way that a partial denture plate is fitted, and this operation requires the services of a dentist. Considering the expense and bother of this solution, it appears somewhat impractical.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simple, low cost game call that can be held in the user's mouth to produce a desired sound without the use of hands, and that may be used by anyone, regardless of the shape or size of their mouth, even if they are wearing dentures.
It is a further object to provide a game call using a diaphragm that is held adjacent the user's lip, rather than inside the mouth.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a diaphragm type game call that is individually fitted to the user, by the user, without professional assistance.
Yet a still further object is to minimize the risk that the user of the game call may ingest or choke on the diaphragm used in conjunction with the call.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the description of the subject invention that follows hereinbelow and an examination of the attached drawings.